ICC should take a call on it: BCCI on umpires' scandal

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday said that it would wait for the International Cricket Council (ICC) to complete its investigations on the television sting operation on umpires who were allegedly willing to fix T20 matches for money.

New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday said that it would wait for the International Cricket Council (ICC) to complete its investigations on the television sting operation on umpires who were allegedly willing to fix T20 matches for money.

A day after India TV beamed its programme purportedly showing the umpires willing to fix matches, the BCCI said that since no Indian umpire was involved it would wait for the probe to be completed.

"The ICC has to take a call on it. They (ICC) will be taking appropriate action. As far as we are concerned we will take action as we deem fit," senior BCCI official Rajeev Shukla said. (Related read: ICC begins investigations)

"Our job is to keep the game clean. The BCCI takes strong and immediate action whenever such cases come up," he said. Meanwhile, India TV will soon hand over the videos to the International Cricket Council for its investigations.

The channel showed video clips purportedly taken by their undercover reporters in which the umpires were shown to be allegedly willing to give certain decisions in exchange for money. (Also read: Accused umpires hit back at allegations)

The six umpires, who were shown in the TV sting operation willing to fix matches, are Nadeem Ghauri and Anees Siddiqui of Pakistan, Nadir Shah of Bangladesh and Gamini Dissanayake, Maurice Winston and Sagara Gallage of Sri Lanka.

Soon after the sting operation was beamed last night, the ICC said it would investigate the matter and asked the channel to give any information which can assist in the probe.

"The ICC and its relevant members have been made aware of the allegations made by India TV this evening and calls on the station to turnover any information which can assist the ICC’s urgent investigations into this matter," the world body said in a statement.

"The ICC re-iterates its zero-tolerance towards corruption whether alleged against players or officials. The ICC confirms that none of the umpires named were involved in any of the official games of the ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka," the ICC said, adding that "it will not make any further comment on this issue".

Rajat Sharma, Chairman and Editor-in Chief of India TV, stood by the channel's expose and said it was open to any inquiry or public scrutiny of their journalistic work if the authenticity of the tapes is in question.

The fact that the umpires were willing to do a "criminal" thing is unfair to cricket, he said.

The Channel showed visuals of its undercover reporters with the umpires, some of whom are purportedly making promises to give favourable decisions in lieu of financial benefits.

According to the channel, Shah offered to give decisions like "out", "not out" in any format of the game. He has officiated in 40-plus ODIs, six Test matches as TV umpire and three Tests as reserve umpire.

Ghauri agreed to help Team India in all ways. As a quid pro quo, he agreed to take all amounts underhand in "black". He has stood in 43 ODIs, 14 Test matches and four T20 matches.

Gallage, a Sri Lankan premier panel umpire who was the fourth umpire at India-Pakistan T20 World Cup warm-up match on September 17, agreed to give information on the match pitch report, weather and even the playing elevens of both teams for a payment of Rs 50,000, according to the channel.